Fiat: Smashing ads to get a viewing

Fiat proves car safety by placing endangered animals at the wheel. Photo / Supplied

Later this year, Kiwi TV-watchers could be treated to the sight of Fiat crash-test cars driven by endangered species.

The series of Fiat ads, which won two awards at the Cannes International Advertising Festival for innovative advertising, uses endangered animals in place of crash test dummies.

The aim was to underline how safe the Fiat 500 is, and to convey the company's commitment to the environment.

That comes not by funding wildlife parks, but by running green-audited factories and designing cars to minimise environmental impact. For example, having technology that delivers detailed per-trip performance figures to its driver, including carbon emission levels.

Whether that's enough to justify the ads' claims or not is debatable, but they're certainly eye-catching.

No real animals were used during filming.